Built With Love Workshop // Obici House Wedding Photographer

A few months ago, I started looking online for a workshop to attend this year. Something that's really important to me is continuing my education, and making sure my mind and portfolio stay fresh - having time to shoot and challenge myself without the pressures of a wedding day allows me to bring a new creativity to my brides. I don't remember how I found it, but I stumbled upon Built With Love Workshop, a local venture that was new to Hampton Roads. After looking at their website and what others had to offer, I signed up without hesitation.

This week I finally got to experience the workshop - it was worth the investment, and far more! There were three big things I was looking for in a workshop: learning business savvy, meeting area vendors, and pushing myself creatively in a styled shoot. Built With Love hit all three on the mark...

Learning: There are a lot of opportunities to learn from photographers, and hearing from Tara Liebeck was definitely eye-opening. However, a hugely unique element to this particular workshop was hearing from OTHER industry professionals. From florists to lighting designers to event planners, I got to hear a different perspective than I had before. I took notes like crazy the first day, learning from some of the sweetest ladies I've met, before launching into some fun headshots with Tara!

Vendors: I mentioned before that we got to hear from some of the best in the business. All I have to do is name a few to convince you of that! We heard from Marissa with Studio Posy, Michelle Amarillo, Sarah with Lovell Productions, Michelle from Blue Steel Lighting Design, and Tara. Not only did we hear from them, but the intimate environment allowed for tons of conversations and interaction throughout the day. 

Styled Shoot: Can I just say that the creative team knocked this one out of the park?! The unique elements to this shoot were not only perfect for my portfolio, they were gorgeous in general and so well thought out. A full list of vendors is at the bottom of this post - each one contributed something incredible to the day!

The biggest thing that stood out to me was the theme of the workshop - love. Each moment, from an amazing welcome dinner, to Tara's kind and helpful critiques of my website and work, to Michelle's encouragement in being your own boss lady, was put together with so much care and attention to detail. Not only did I walk away from the workshop with valuable knowledge and amazing images, I left with local friends and allies who are cheering me on every step of the way. And that is far worth the investment! Now for some beauty...

Built With Love Workshop
Attire: Pure English Bridal (Dress by Hayley Paige) 
Hair: High Voltage Hair by Crystal Casey
Makeup: Kristine Marie Makeup Artistry
Cakes: Sweet Temptations Bakery
Linens, Charger plates and Chavari Chairs: Classy Event Rentals
Sofa, Chair, and Coffee Table Set: Paisley and Jade
Invitation Suite and Place Cards: Capital Calligraphy 
Love Sign: Blue Steel Lighting 
Attendee Gifts: Francesca's 
Notebooks: JillianAnastia
Styling and design: Michelle Amarillo Event Planning
Backdrop, Florals and Styling: Studio Posy
Venue: The Historic Obici House
Workshop Hosts: Tara Liebeck Photography & Michelle Amarillo Event Planning 

Circles Conference 2014 Recap

Last week, I had the privilege of flying down to Texas and attending Circles Conference in Grapevine. I knew it would be a worthwhile conference, but I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. To be honest, the content and speakers absolutely blew me away!

Circles was all about creativity, from social media to graphic design, communications and beyond. The caliber of speakers was absolutely phenomenal. Hearing them talk about everything from how to say no to projects that will burn you out, giving everyone a voice to make us stronger together, and using the gifts we've been given as creatives was such an inspiration. It's impossible to write down every one of my notes from this conference - I'm still sorting through them all - but here are some of the highlights.

The Heads of State are an incredible graphic design team that have done campaigns for everyone from Nike to Starbucks, Subaru, and more. They showed their process of design, giving formulas for their inspiration for a dozen different clients. It was incredible to see their thought process, and made me think a little deeper about how I creatively get from point A to point B. I only wish we could have seen more examples!

Jay Argaet may have been my favorite! As the Art & Communication Director at Hillsong Church, he has a huge job that he doesn't take lightly. He spoke of believing in the impossible until you KNOW it can't be done - at one point, his team saw 27 billboards in Times Square lit up with the words "No Other Name: Jesus" for their album cover, on an extremely limited budget. My favorite quote: "If everyone's aiming at the sun, let's go to the moon."

Lee Steffen spoke about rest and finding true joy in creativity. He talked about using the gifts you've been given to fill a void that people already have, and not trying to force yourself to be good at things that don't come naturally to you.

Josh Brewer gave some of the most practical advice of the whole conference. As the former principal designer at Twitter during its years of insane growth, he detailed how to build and lead a team, something which I constantly feel like I need direction on. I also got to speak to him for a few minutes afterwards about my specific team, and he offered some great insight.

Josh Higgins absolutely rocked it with his presentation. Not only is he a designer at Facebook, he was a lead designer for Obama's 2012 campaign. That had to be one of the most fascinating things to see. I remember thinking as I listened to the talk, 'No wonder they won.' Seeing his creativity was an inspiration and a challenge to just BE better.

Some more highlights, since I can't possibly recap all the speakers:
I got to talk to Doug Bowman in person. And ask him advice. So, so helpful.
The Circles venue was amazing, and so was their team, swag, and everything about the conference. Really top notch.
Splatter Day, an optional time of paintball after the conference ended, was fantastic. I have the bruises and welts to prove I had a great time.
The FOOD. Steel City Pops changed my life. Hard Eight BBQ blew me away. That was some GOOD meat!

Overall, I left feeling inspired to be authentic to myself and my own creativity. I left with real tools to figure out how to do this in my own life. And I left knowing it's ok to rest and take a break - in fact, it's absolutely necessary to keep my creativity going. I'm still processing everything I took away from the conference, but I am absolutely planning on going back next year. If you're a creative of any type, from graphic design to communications to photography, I PROMISE that Circles Conference 2015 will absolutely encourage and inspire you in exactly the ways you need it!

Business of Wedding Photography // C. Tyler Corvin Studio Workshop

Well, friends, the month of June has been an absolute whirlwind. At the beginning of the month, Nathan was in Alaska, and I watched my baby sister graduate, then drove back home to shoot a wedding the next day. Fast-forward one week, and Nathan left again on a two-week business trip. Meanwhile, I traveled to Washington, D.C., for Jasmine Star's workshop, then drove to Charlottesville the following Saturday for this one (with a portrait session in the mix as well). I have learned so much this month and loved every bit of it, but I am ready for July to have a much slower pace!

Tyler Corvin's workshop focused a lot more on the nitty, gritty not-so-fun but oh-so-necessary business side of wedding photography. There is so much to think about, from taxes to marketing to SEO and everything in between. As a photographer, the fun and exciting part is what everyone sees - portrait sessions, weddings, and travel. And then during the week is all the behind the scenes details that you do out of absolute necessity - sales tax, quarterly tax, website rankings, directory listings...you name it!

The Business of Wedding Photography covered everything from A to Z. Some of the most helpful parts of the workshop were things I didn't even know I had to learn! Tyler talked about how to set up your business, and since I just made the switch over to an LLC, I had no idea where to go from there! We talked about marketing yourself, both on social media and on Google, Bing, and Yahoo. We chatted for awhile about pricing and how to write contracts to make sure you and your client are both covered in case ANYTHING happens.

I could go on and on, but this workshop was invaluable to my business! As much as I would like to pretend that all I do is take pictures, that could not be farther from the truth. Having someone come alongside of you to make sure your business is set up to allow for steady, sustained growth is absolutely priceless. I am so grateful to have learned from Tyler, Jasmine, and Justin & Mary all in one year, and I can't wait to implement everything I now know as my business continues to grow!